MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION^®

A Case Study

It all started with a wish and a smile.

UAW-GM and General Motors wanted to expand their community outreach by joining together to help others, at both the national and local level.  Ralph Edwards Productions (REP) paired them with the Make-A-Wish Foundation^®, a 72-chapter organization with a heartfelt mission – to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.  A joint national initiative was launched in 1999, to help deserving children realize their heartfelt dreams.

It began with Bill, a 16-year-old who wanted to restore a fixer-upper truck and make it his own.  GM supplied the parts, while the GM Metal Fabricating Plant & UAW represented employees in Pittsburgh refurbished the truck, making Bill’s wish come true in just 16 days.  Thousands of wishes have been granted since Bill’s.  Today, UAW-GM and General Motors’ simple vision has grown into a far-reaching, fully integrated and institutionalized program administered by WishWorks^®, a division of REP. 

Making Smiles Standard Equipment^®.

REP branded the initiative under the Making Smiles Standard Equipment^® platform and designed a co-branded logo to unify and identify the program in all media releases, promotions, advertising, websites and signage. 

Making Smiles Standard Equipment^® has become more than a catch phrase for the UAW-GM and General Motors Make-A-Wish^® Initiative; it’s a cause marketing success story.  REP has worked hand-in-hand with the MSSE partners to launch national and local grassroots initiatives that have helped all three organizations achieve their business objectives, while helping to raise funds and awareness for the needs of deserving wish children throughout the United States. 

As the program continues to expand throughout GM Plants, Divisions and the participating dealer community, REP has harnessed the power of a wish to:

• Generate 200 million average annual media impressions
• Help grant more than 7,600 wishes 
• Attain 100% of initiative integration goals
• Roll out annual national campaigns, including the Holiday Wish Match, Wish-Match 25 and Make A Difference Day
• Leverage GM’s sponsorship of the 2002 Winter Olympics to support the granting of children’s wishes to attend the Olympics
• Generate community-based support for Chevrolet’s Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay, through the participation of wish children and Foundation volunteers in the Relay
• Activate grassroots community support for nationwide Chevrolet dealers’ Corvette Signature Car event, with hundreds of film and television stars, world-class athletes and community leaders participating in the signing
• Create and implement the successful Corvette eBay auction, generating 7+ million media impressions and more than $76,000 to help make wishes come true

It’s a neverending story.

The magic of wish granting doesn't stop with the children.  Everyone involved – family members, volunteers, sponsors and the media – are touched by the selfless experience of helping make a child’s dream come true.  The UAW-GM and General Motors Make-A-Wish^® Initiative provides emotional connectivity for everyone engaged, bringing the program full circle to engage more people to help more children every day.